Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs

One of the most effective tools to slow the spread of COVID-19 is testing. Yet, DC Health’s at-home testing program, which provided COVID-19 tests for free to District residents, left blind people isolated and unable to confirm their diagnosis. This inaccessible public health program was both a disability rights and a racial justice issue. Despite being less than half of the District population, Black residents make up seventy-five percent of the persons with disabilities and are disproportionately impacted by diseases related to vision loss, including diabetes. Moreover, Black residents are more than twice as likely to sicken and die from COVID-19 as white residents. In response to this discrimination, Sheppard Mullin and the Committee filed suit in June 2022 on behalf of blind DC residents and the DC Council of the Blind. The WLC filed a complaint to address this inaccessible public health program. In November 2022, the District agreed to maintain an accessible Test Yourself DC program that includes in-home testing assistance, screen reader accessible online instructions, and outreach to the disability community. https://lnkd.in/dK4-z_jV #WLC #DisabilityPrideMonth #DisabilityJustice #CivilRights #RacialJustice

During multiple crises, the District of Columbia and Saint Elizabeths Hospital subjected patients to unconstitutional conditions and failed to adequately prepare for emergencies. Patients at St. Elizabeths, who are majority Black, with limited resources, and all of whom have disabilities and depend on the District for their care, were exposed to inhumane conditions as a result of the District’s mismanagement of these crises. - When the hospital's water supply was shut off in 2019 due to bacterial contamination, the District terminated critical treatment for many patients and left them in unconscionable conditions, with limited or no access to showers, other basic hygiene, and hot food for more than 30 days. - When the COVID pandemic hit, the District failed to put into place basic infection control measures, resulting in a mortality rate that was forty times that of the general population. Arnold & Porter, the ACLU of DC, and the Committee filed suit against the District and secured an injunction which brought transmission under control and the rate of illness dropped dramatically. In February 2023, patients entered a settlement with the Hospital and the District which requires the City to implement new emergency preparedness procedures to ensure patients are cared for during public health crises. https://lnkd.in/dFf3ay88 #DisabilityPrideMonth #DisabilityJustice #CivilRights

Philip Ashley, a blind employee who worked for the General Services Administration (GSA) for over 13 years, consistently received superior evaluations and even trained others who advanced to higher-level positions. However, he faced barriers to promotion because he was unable to use essential software that was not accessible to him due to his blindness. This lack of reasonable accommodation led to a 2018 lawsuit—filed by the pro bono team Covington & Burling LLP and Daniel Valencia, who is now an attorney at DLA Piper—emphasizing the GSA's failure to comply with the Rehabilitation Act, which mandates that federal agencies provide accessible technology and accommodations to employees with disabilities. This hotly contested case resulted in years of litigation before resulting in a settlement that compensates Mr. Ashley and funds his professional development. For more information about WLC's disability justice work, visit www.washlaw.org. #DisabilityPrideMonth #DisabilityJustice #CivilRights #WorkersRights

The coalition Erase the Database DC is putting on community listening sessions about MPD's Gang Database. DC's Gang Database is a deeply flawed policing method that MPD uses to surveil and criminalize Black and brown people in DC. No white supremacist groups are listed here; there was only one white person on the list of 1200+ people, and 99% of the "gangs" listed are names of public housing complexes or street corners. Erase the Database DC wants to educate the public about DC’s Gang Database so that impacted individuals can form an opinion about it. We seek to eliminate the database and its harmful surveillance practices through policy advocacy or litigation. Full press release and report: https://lnkd.in/eGUZ4Dc4 You can use the QR code to fill out the form for the listening session participation. You can also reach out to the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, Civil Rights Corps or NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. fund to learn more. #WLC #CriminalJusticeReform #ErasetheDatabaseDC

Chelsea Sullivan joined the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs in September 2023 as a Georgetown Women's Law and Public Policy Fellow. Before joining WLC, Chelsea worked alongside people with disabilities as a personal care assistant for over ten years, where she witnessed the systemic barriers that people with disabilities face as they work and live in an ableist society. This fall, Chelsea will transition to a permanent staff attorney role on the disability justice team. In March 2024, WLC, along with McDermott Will & Emery, the Children's Law Center, and the Arc of the United States filed a lawsuit on behalf of DC children with disabilities who are not receiving safe, reliable, and effective transportation to and from school. These students miss hours and days of school because the bus arrives late or fails to pick them up. Chelsea has represented their parents through special education due process hearings and federal litigation, gaining experience drafting federal court documents, conducting witness examinations, and working with experts. In addition, Chelsea regularly visits and represents incarcerated DC residents with disabilities who are members of a putative class challenging the Department of Corrections’ failure to provide constitutionally adequate medical care. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eeMStWVt #WLCStaff #CivilRights #DisabilityRights 

On July 10, Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs hosted a national webinar on the June 28 Supreme Court decision, City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, which upheld a municipal ordinance that effectively criminalizes homelessness. WLC Board member Kelsi Corkran, Supreme Court Director, Institute for Constitutional Advocacy & Protection, argued the case on behalf of Gloria Johnson, an unhoused person, and others living and facing homelessness in Grants Pass, Oregon. Kelsi, along with Ryan Downer, WLC Legal Director, discussed this case and its implications for the rights of homeless individuals across the country. Watch the entire webinar here: https://lnkd.in/ex2FBCCt #WLC #CivilRights #HousingJustice

Today, the Equal Rights Center and Uber Technologies, Inc. announced that they have agreed on a plan through which Uber will undertake certain actions in an effort to facilitate enhanced availability and safety of rides for users of the Uber Rideshare marketplace using wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs) in Washington, DC. The Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and Relman Colfax PLLC represent the Equal Rights Center. "We hear regularly from members that transportation options for wheelchair users in the District remain very limited," commented ERC Executive Director Kate Scott. "As such, we are hopeful that the effort we’re announcing today with Uber will help better meet some of our community’s transportation needs.” Full press release: https://lnkd.in/dca5zYHh More information about the litigation: https://lnkd.in/dWF-pi36 #AccessibilityForAll #EqualRights #WheelchairAccessible #InclusiveTransportation #DisabilityRights

“The longer we wait, the longer it’s going to take to fix the system.” Kaitlin Banner, Deputy Legal Director at the Washington Lawyers’ Committee and her co-counsel McDermott Will & Emery, Children's Law Center, and The Arc of the United States were in federal court in D.C. on July 11, asking the judge to grant a preliminary injunction forcing the DC school district and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) to address systemic problems with busing for students with disabilities. They’re also asking for the judge to certify this as a class action lawsuit. Under federal law, OSSE is required to provide school transportation for students with disabilities. However, parents have reported chronic delays, safety issues, and canceled routes—and are demanding systemic changes. A status hearing on the case is scheduled for July 23 – just one month before students return to school on Aug. 26. To learn more, visit: https://lnkd.in/ep3cYU2Z #shareyourbusstory #WLC #CivilRights #DisabilityJustice #EducationJustice

Young, disabled, behind bars, far from home, and deprived of education. For disabled D.C. students in Bureau of Prisons ("BOP") custody, this is their daily reality. These students are entitled to special education under federal law and DC law, yet no appropriate high school programs are available in the BOP. In spring 2024 the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, School Justice Project (SJP), and Nixon Peabody LLP filed a federal class action lawsuit against D.C. and the BOP for denying education to incarcerated students with disabilities. Failure to provide special education and related services, including transition services, has real and devastating consequences: - Only 40% of D.C. students, with special education needs, graduate from high school - Fewer than 30% of older students aged 18-22 graduate from high school - Graduation rates for court-involved students are even lower “Young people in BOP custody deserve the opportunity to gain the education and skills necessary so they successfully reintegrate into the community, after being released,” said Marja K. Plater, Esq. WLC senior counsel. WLC is proud to stand with the young people in BOP custody fighting for their right to education. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e_PGB_9r #DisabilityPride #CivilRights #EquitibleAccess #EducationJustice #PrisionersRights

Imagine being the parent of a student with disabilities who was missing for hours because the school bus wasn't reliably tracked. What if the bus doesn’t provide the appropriate accommodations and equipment that your child with disabilities needs to ride the bus safely? What if the bus shows up late—or not at all? The District of Columbia is not providing safe and reliable transportation to students with disabilities, hindering their access to education. On March 7, the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, along with The Arc and parents of students with disabilities, filed a class action lawsuit against DC's Office of the State Superintendent for Education (OSSE). The lawsuit addresses systemic failures in providing safe and reliable school transportation, which denies students with disabilities equal access to education. This action seeks to enforce legal rights under the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act, the ADA, and other laws to ensure equitable access for all students. “The District’s failure to provide safe, reliable, and appropriate transportation to students with disabilities is part of a trend where the District does not live up to its obligations to children and families,” said Kaitlin Banner, WLC Deputy Legal Director and plaintiff counsel. “We hope this lawsuit creates the systemic changes we need for students to get to school safely and on time so they can learn.” Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ewj5jSHu #DisabilityPrideMonth #CivilRights #EducationJustice #EquitableAccess